Dl2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Novel
Extension vegetable specialist Mike Orzolek discusses use of machine for
laying trickle irrigation tape during University of Delaware field day program.
Raised beds
improve
vegetable production
GEORGETOWN, DE. -
Small fanners trying for
early yields from certain
high-value commercial
vegetable crops may benefit
from growing their plants in
raised beds. On flat ground
the raised beds have several
advantages, says University
of Delaware extension
vegetable specialist Mike
Orzolek. The soil warms up
faster in the spring, there’s
less wind erosion to damage
young plants, and less
standing water in the row.
Orzolek feels that raised
beds are more effective than
standard cultural practices
on flat ground or black
plastic mulch because
they’ll give you an earlier
crop without the expense of
the plastic or the labor of
putting it down and later
removing it. The technique
works especially well for
cucurbits like cucumbers. It
may also be a viable
alternative on eggplants,
tomatoes and peppers.
This past summer, the
specialist grew both
cucumbers and eggplants at
the University’s Georgetown
Substation under a variety of
treatments aimed at
r 8,1980
-v' > •
w.V 5a
2~~
assessing the possible
benefits of raised beds vs.
plastic mulch or con
ventional cultural practices
on flat ground.
Altogether there were six
different treatments in his
demonstration plot: (1)
raised beds made in the fall
preceding planting with a
double disk bedder, (2)
raised beds made m the
spring with a double disk
►♦♦♦♦♦♦♦<>♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦£
| HOG PRODUCERS! I
t Get Top Price for
♦ Your Hogs at jH
I New Holland “ *
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
;
Sold in sorted lots the auction way. See them
weighed and sold and pick up your check.
SALE EVERY MONDAY - &Q 0 A.M.
NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES, INC. :
Phone 717-354-4341 ♦
Daily market Report - Phone 717-354-7288 t
♦ Abe Drffenbach, Manager X
"V-
bedder, (3) beds made in the
spring with a double disk
bedder followed by a bed
shaper, (4) plowed and
disked rows on flat ground,
(5) plowed and disked rows
on flat ground covered m the
fall by black plastic mulch,
and (6) plowed and disked
rows covered by plastic in
the spring.
Dnp irrigation was used
on all treatments and plants
y -
were fertilized as needed
over the growing season
through the trickle lines.
Cucumber seeds were
planted May 5 and May 12 a
foot apart in rows six feet
apart. Eggplant transplants
were set out on all treat
ments May 16 and May 23.
Plants were set every two
feet in rows six feet apart.
Orzolek found that both the
plastic mulch and the raised
beds improved yields with
little difference between
these two treatments - at
least on cucumbers and
eggplant. This suggests that
growers could save them
selves both time and money
in some cases by abandoning
rmrmSn KEKIErs LIMESTONE
FARM EQUIPMEIfI PRODUCTS INC.
R ’°mSSa PA R 7,7 AIRVILLE EQUIPMENT, INC.
P O Box 37. Airville, PA
717-862-3358
NICHOLS FARM EQUIPMENT C " i R T 3 ™o! RoS '
R D 1 Bloomsburg. PA R 2 New Tripoli. PA
717-784-7731 18066
215-767-7611
MARSHALL MACHINERY
R D 4, Honesdale, PA
717-729-7117
* RjagPowtr
A inrarmins
i£V ALLIS-CHALMERS
ROY H. BUCK, INC.
EptiraU, RD 2
717-859-2441
WERTZ GARAGE
Lineboro, MD
301-374-2672
AGRONOMICS INC.
Box 64, R 0 2
Factory ville, PA
717-945-3933
the plastic in favor of raised
beds.
Black plastic does have
the advantage of reducing
weeds in the row. But it costs
about $lOO an acre to put
down and must be removed
at the end of the growing
season. The fall-laid mulch
appeared to perform as well
as that laid down in spring.
But it has a tendency to blow
under extremely high winds,
so be sure to anchor edges
adequately with soil to keep
it from tearing, he says.
Eggplants grown on raised
beds did very well but tended
to develop some rot where
fruit touched the ground. On
the other hand, the crop was
L. H. BRUBAKER, INC. GRUMELLi FARM SERVICE
Lancaster, PA Quarryville, PA
717-397-5179 717-786-7318
PETERMAN FARM
EQUIPMENT, INC.
225 York Road
Carlisle, PA
717-249-5338
SHARTLESVILLE FARM
SERVICE
Shartlesville. PA
215-488-1025^
H Daniel Wenger, Prop
B. EQUIP., INC.
8422 Wayne Hwy
Waynesboro, PA
717-762-3193
easier to pick than when
plants were grown on
plastic. These grew so large
they tended to spread
beyond the plastic anyway,
in some cases also
developing rot where fruits
touched the ground. I
The specialist reported a
slight advantage to making
raised beds in December of
the preceding year so that
soil had a chance to settle
before spring. This resulted
in Jess sand blasting
from heavy winds when the
crop was planted. Beds
shaped then also appeared to
have fewer weed problems.
What weeds did develop
(Turn to Page 013)
BHM FARM
EQUIPMENT, INC.
Annville, ROl, PA
717-867-2211
CJ. WONSIDLER BROS.
RDI. Quakertown, PA
18951
215-536-1935
215-536-7523
AG. - INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
R 2, Rising Sun, MO
301-658-5568
A. J. HOSS fc SON, INC.
RD2, Oley, PA
215-987-6257
CANYON IMPLEMENTS, INC.
ROl. Mansfield, PA
717-724-2731